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FEATURE RACE COMMENT

 

YEAR: 2012

2012 BRECKON FARMS & ALL STARS RACING EASTER CUP

Hands Christian well and truly announced his arrival on to the big stage with a thrilling win in a grand finish to Saturday night's Easter Cup at Addington.

Not that the Christian Cullen gelding hasn't been in the limelight since he began his career in earnest as a spring 3-year-old, when it took Gold Ace to narrowly down him in the Sires Stakes, but the more recent version is proving a much more mature model and this was his first G1 win when he has looked fallible at times in the past. "He has been a bit of a late developer, both physically and mentally, but he has shown glimpses of genuine ability at times," said Mark Purdon. "We've had some very big offers along the way, but I'm quite pleased we kept him now," he added.

One of those glimpses was at the Jewels last year when Hands Christian split Gold Ace and Terror To Love in a similarily nose and head grandstand finish, but he has sort of been living in their shadow for much of the time. Gold Ace and Terror To Love have seemingly been waging a private war, with the recent Superstars being just a return to their epic encounters as late 3-year-olds, but Hands Christian has always been lurking and on this occasion he beat them both fairly and squarely and on their merits.

After bobbling away and missing the start by 10-12 lengths, Hands Christian bided his time towards the tail of the field and he still had only Franco Ledger behind behind him at the 600m. Purdon began his charge soon after and flushed Terror To Love for a drag into the race, but coming wide from so far back hardly seemed a recipe for success at the time. But this had been a solidly run affair on a cool and windy night and the race would be one of quickly changing complexions as class became the biggest factor.

Just as the doughty Mah Sish had put Franco Emirate away early in the run home, Gold Ace and Terror To Love loomed alongside and seemed all set to go at it again. For once Terror To Love was obviously going to get the better of Gold Ace, off the back of a kinder trip for a change, only for Hands Christian to bomb them both right on the line. A time of 4:04 was more than respectable in the conditions and Hands Christian had come home in 56 and 27 and change to get around them.

"I sort of set him for this when we decided against a start in the Auckland Cup. He was very unlucky in the Superstars when I decided to try for an inside run on the home turn and he never really got clear. I thought we'd wait for Easter when he might have got a bit of a head start on the good ones. Things didn't work out that way, but he still got the job done."

This was just another outstanding Premier carnival performance from the all conquering Purdon & Payne stable, a G1 double on Saturday night being complemented by three supporting acts by Trilby, Harrison Maguire and Southwing Arden, and following on from Escapee's Trotting Oaks and Derby double and the quinella in the NZ Derby. The All Stars Stable won 14 races and well over $300,000 in stakes over the three nights, taking their seasonal tallies to 101 wins and $1.85m, the latter figure easily more than twice any other stable. And just to cap things off, the Easter Cup was a race the stable co-sponsored.

Credit: Frank Marrion writing in HRWeekly 12Apr2012

 

YEAR: 2010

2010 NRM NEW ZEALAND SIRES' STAKES 3YO FINAL

Moments after winning the $180,000 Group 1 NRM Sires' Stakes Final at Addington on Tuesday, Stephen Reid still couldn't believe it. "I've got the good horse," said the trainer of Gold Ace, adding "finally" to the end of his sentence. "At times in the past I've had people say to me that I've got a real good one, and it hasn't turned out that way. But now I have - and I think I'm due. This is the best moment for me, ever!"

Reidman had every right to be wallowing in disbelief following the event, because the way the race panned out Gold Ace had no right to win it. Drawn the outside of the front line, driver Peter Ferguson had little option but to ease back as firstly Delight Brigade and then Hands Christian led. The latter was literally 'getting away with murder' in front, so at the winning post with a lap to travel Ferguson thought enough was enough and brought the three-wide train forward.

Gold Ace was stuck out there without cover from that point onwards, and on a day when 10 of the 12 winners either led or trailed, his task into a stiff breeze looked forlorn. But there was still plenty of fight in the Bettor's Delight colt's belly as the field swung for home, and he powered down centre track to nab Hands Christian right on the line.

"I thought we were no hope," Reid said. "Having to drop back from that draw, we needed them to go hard up front so we could finish over the top of them. But I was listening to the quarters as they unfolded, and when the first was thirty-one followed by a thirty down the back, I didn't give him a chance."

What made Gold Ace's victory all the more sweeter for Reid is the fact that he and his wife Wendy own 37.5 percent of him. "We put our nuts on the line to buy him," Reid said, casting his mind back to June and July when he and former training partner Graeme Rogerson were about to go their seperate ways. "I didn't want to be paying training fees for the horse to be somewhere else, that didn't make any sense. Rogey and I bought him at the Sales and put a few other people into the ownership with us, but he didn't want to buy us out and initially we didn't want to take his share either. It was all really amicable, but it went backwards and forwards for months."

Deep down inside, something was tellig Reid not to let this one go. "I had a gut feeling he was a good one," Reid said, pointing out that at the time Gold Ace had made seven appearances for just one win. "I picked him out on type as a yearling. He was out of a lightly-raced In The Pocket mare, and I liked the Bettor's Delights too. And he was just a notch below them at two; even when he won the Sales Series Consolation down here in May he was still immature. We've sold a lot of horses over the years, but I said to Wendy...maybe we take a punt with this one and hang onto it. Because if we turn him out, and he lifts, we might just have one that's up to the real good ones. I think it's safe to say that he's lifted."

Joining the couple in the ownership of Gold Ace are Auckland construction company owner Michael Ng, who's raced harness horses since 1997 and "this is the best one, by far"; the colt's breeder Derek Moore who's been in him all the way through; and the Moore-managed D D Syndicate, a group of 10 North Island enthusiasts that Reid says he's indebted to Gold Ace's breeder for organising when the need arose.

From here the programme for Gold Ace in undecided, apart from the main target being the 3-year-old Sales Series Pace at the end of next month. "There's so many big races for them at three, you've got to be a bit careful," Reid said. "If I manage him right, I think that as a 5-year-old he could not only be a Cup horse - but win a really big race. And it gets a bit fuzzy in the tummy when you realise you could own thirty-seven and a half percent of a star."

One thing's for sure, nothing could pry Gold Ace's driver from the sulky from here on in. "I asked Reidman at the start of the season whether he had any 3-year-olds, and told him to put me on the best one," Ferguson said with a smile. "I thought his first-up run for third was average; then he went better when he won at Cambridge, but when he won again at Auckland on October 22 he fair-dinkum caned them and never left second gear. That gave me a lot of confidence for today - and Reidman does too, because he's so enthusiastic about this horse. I've got a lot of respect for him. He's always been a good trainer, always. All he's needed is some horses to show it."

Ferguson said it was great to get back into the 'Group 1 zone', believing it was May last year with Flying Pocketlands when he last won one, and before that you had to go back to the days of Mi Muchacho. He'd pretty confident that Cup Day's Group 1 won't be Gold Ace's last, either. "This horse just doesn't know anything yet - wait until he does!"

Credit: John Robinson writing in HRWeekly 11Nov2010

 

YEAR: 1993

SCUSE ME - Classic Winner Producing Mare

Scuse Me(1993 BGs Bunny-Super Smooth), USA family of Nora by Glencoe; 1:53.5, $126,841, 8 wins; 15 foals, 12 to race, 12 winners. Breeder and breeder of all her foals: Charles(CJ) Roberts.

Scuse Me is without doubt the mare of the moment - the hottest breeding proposition in NZ. Over the past couple of decades, the immediate family includes horses of the calibre of Christen Me, Adore Me, Have Faith In Me, Dream About Me, Imagine Me, Hands Christian to name a few. Woodlands Stud supremo Charles Roberts is prominent as breeder of Scuse Me as well as being involved in the breeding/ownership of a number of the family offspring.

Her sire, BGs Bunny, only stood the one season in NZ at Woodlands Stud serving 245 mares(161 live foals) before dying from a heart attack in September 1993. A grandson of Meadow Skipper and a top siring son of Albatross, BGs Bunny won 12 of his 26 two/three starts. He sired over 1,000 winners in USA with a number of his colts standing at stud in NZ(ill-fated Butler BG who also died from a heart attack in September 1993; McKinzie Almahurst; Allwin Steady; power Bunny). His broodmare sire record ranks him highly amongst the all-time greats - Precious Bunny, Tooter Scooter, Armbro Operative, Cams Card Shark, The Falcon Strike and stallions that stood in NZ at one time in WRH, OK Bye and Cams Trickster. BGs Bunny's major NZ credits all flow from Scuse Me.

Scuse Me's dam Super Smooth, unraced dam of 15 foals(five by embryo transplant, two to race both winners), 7 to race for 7 winners, four of whom won in NZ before having successful Australian careers. Other than Scuse Me, her progeny included Tricky Woman(3 wins, 1:56.2 at Winton), Vicalo(3 NZ wins/5 AUS wins, 4 wins at Albion Park), Il Casino(winner in NZ/14 WA wins, four at Gloucester Park), Supabet(4nZ wins/10 Qld wins, 8 at Albion Park, 1:53.8). Fallacy mare Gold Heritage's (granddam of Super Smooth), daughter Remit left dual Australian Broodmare of the Year Fiscal Miss(dam of Whitbys Miss Penny [da of Ima Spicey Lombo], Ace of Whitby, Whitby Timer, Whitbys Merit(dam of Montana Anna)-the Whitby clan.

Whilst known as the USA family of Nora by Glencoe, from a NZ perspective this is the family of Childe Harold mare Moonbeam(foaled in NSW in 1889) whose third dam is Nora. Moonbeam's dam Gracie was exported in foal to Australia from North America. Moonbeam left Don Cleve (successful sire/ damsire of AK Cup winner Blue Mountain King), breeding on through her filly Daybreak, winner of Henry Mace Memorial and Recovery Hcp at Addington. It was from Daybreak's filly Daisy Pointer that latter day NZ winners from this family eventuate(Daisy Scott to Dasy Gold to Gold Heritage). Major descendants apart from those tracing to Scuse Me include Quincey, Sir Joe, Pointer Hanover, Josephine Bret, Onedin Supreme, Bondy, Maximan.

The first foal of Super Smooth, Scuse Me won 8 of her 25 starts. Her race career commenced as a late 2yo with a second placing from 2 starts. At three, she was third in her second start in the Ladyship Stakes (won by Kates First), before recording her first win in a fillies maiden at Addington. She followed this with a forth in NZSS 3yof before winning three races at Alexandra Park including the GN Oaks and two Hydroflow Fillies heats. A win at Cambridge and then at Addington concluded her wins for the season(6) before finishing fifth in the NZ Oaks and seventh in the Hydroflow final. At four, Scuse Me, commenced with a win at Cambridge in an Elliott Futurity Stakes heat, several placings(thirds in Elliott Futurity final, GN Breeders 4yo Stakes) prior to her major CV credit, the Taylor Mile. In this she established the NZR of 1:53.5 for a mile, still an Alexandra Park mile record and equal fastest MR at Auckland(with Besotted, 1:53.5, 1700m). A fourth a week later in the Messenger was her final dividend-bearing place. Scuse Me has to date had 12 foals to race for 12 winners. She achieved breeding glory being named 2013 Broodmare of Year and receiving NZSBA Broodmare of Excellence Award.

Scuse Me's male progeny include:

Have Faith In Me, 2014/5 3yo colt/gelding pacer of year(7 victories in 11 3yo starts) is the first 3yo to achieve four Group One victories in a season: NZSS 3yoc(1:53.2, 1950), GN & NZ Derbies, Harness Jewels(1:52.5, 1 mile) together with the Flying Stakes and the listed 3yo Yearling Sales Series final. At four, he won first up in the Group Three Junior FFA(sponsored by Fahey Fence Hire) on NZ Cup Day, arrogantly winning in near NZ record time of 3:07.6/1:56.0(2600m). His performance to finish third in the Franklin Cup after conservatively losing 100m at the start and running unofficial sectionals of 2:53.7(last 1½m), last mile in 1:54.1, half in 55.1 and quarter in 27.0, to go down by 2¾l in a 2:00 mile rate(2700m stand)was exceptional. The heir apparent in waiting then maintained his faultless group One records when recording his fifth Group One success in the second running of the 2015 Auckland Cup on New Years Eve(2014/5 season Cup run in March 2015 won by Christen Me). Starting from the unruly position, he began well and toughed out the 3200m journey to record his biggest win to date. At the beginning of January 2016, his record stood at 18:10-3-1, $712,279.

Megabucks, winner of 5 from 17 starts in NZ(Te Awamutu Cup, Alexandra Park 4 wins). In North America, winner of 7 recording 1:49.3US(Colonial Downs).

Toledo, seven-race winner in NZ with 4 as a 3yo(Alexandra Park[3], Cambridge), 2 at four(Alexandra Park, NZYSS Aged Pace at Kaikoura) and 1 victory at five at Alexandra Park before his export to Australia. He won his first start at Bathurst, his only placing in 7 starts over two years in Australia.

It is however Scuse Me's fillies that have taken prominence including:

Adore Me, outstanding champion filly and race mare, retired winner of 26 from 36 starts, $1.6m, 1:47.7(p3, 1:52.4), 12 Group Ones, 5 Group Two, 3 Group Three victories and placed in seven Group Ones(unplaced on only three occasions. At three, won 11 of 12 starts including the Ladyship Stakes, NZSS-3f(heat & final), GN & NZ Oaks, Nevele R Fillies(heat & final), Jewels-3f, plus additional wins at Auckland and Addington(2) with her only defeat being second in GN Derby after drawing the outside of the second row. She was the 3yo filly of her year. At four, she was the winner of 8 of 12 starts including the Junior FFA on Cup Day, GN Breeders Stakes, Queen of Hearts, Premier Mares Championship, NZ Standardbred Breeders Stakes, the Easter Cup, 4yo Jewels and an additional win at Addington plus seconds in the AK Cup, NSW Ladyship Mile and third in the Taylor Mile. At five, Adore M was the winner of 7 from 12 starts the NZ Cup, Ashburton Flying Stakes, GN Breeders Stakes, Queen of Hearts, Waikato Flying Mile(NZ mares mile record 1:51.6), Brian Hancock Cup, Ladyship Mile(Australasian record 1:47.7); 2nd NZFFA, Ak Cup and third in the Victoria Cup. She retired after fracturing a sesamoid bone when faltering briefly in the run home during her close second to her close relation Christen Me in the 2015 Auckland Cup. Adore Me was Aged Mare of the Year as both a 4 & 5yo.

Imagine Me, fine race mare, winner of 9 including 6 at three. She won her first 2 starts at Ashburton and Addington, followed by NZSS 3yof heat at Addington(3rd in the final), Nevele R Fillies heat at Forbury Park(2nd & 3rd in the Addington heats, 3rd in the final), AUS Breeders Crown heat at Addington-walkover; 5th in the semi-final and 3rd final)plus second in the 3yof Jewels and thirds in the Ladyship Stakes, GN & NZ Oaks. At four she was a winner at Alexandra Park on three occasions including the NI Breeders Stakes and third in the 4yo mares Jewels. Imagine Me had four 5yo starts for four fourths all at Alexandra Park including the GN Breeders Stakes and the Queen of Hearts before being retired (dam of a qualifier).

La Filou, Alexandra Park winner, dam of three winners including The Dip, 14 AUS wins(VIC VHRSC(MHRC) Cup at three, TAS Guineas.

Splendid Dreams, sub two-minute winner at first start(3yo), subsequently winning 2 of 6 starts. Proving to be a sensational broodmare carrying on from her mother Scuse Me, dam of:

. Christen Me, $2m+, 29 wins, 1:49.1, two-time Australasian Grand Circuit champion, multiple group winner(Hondo Grattan Sprint, Chariots of Fire, Superstars, Taylor Mile, Messenger, 4yo Jewels Emerald, New Briughton, Hunter, Bendigo, Victoria, Auckland and Easter Cups, Canterbury Classic, National Hcp, Maurice Holmes Vase twice, NZFFA, & Miracle Mile) plus Group One placed seconds in the Miracle Mile, Ballarat & Cranbourne Cups and thirds in the NZ & Victoria Cups.

Hands Christian, Easter Cup, Cambridge Futurity, International Cargo Express FFA, Paleface Adios Sprint, seconds in the NZSS & the 3yo Jewels and third in the 3yo NZYSS, 1:52.5

Dream About Me, 2014/5 NZ 2yo filly Pacer of the Year, unbeaten in 5 NZ starts at 2 and 3 Australian starts; Delightful Lady Classic 2f, 2f NZSS(p2, 1:54.9), Harness Jewels(NZ Record 1:53.3) and winner in Australiaof 2f Breeders Crown(1:57).

Splendid Deal, unraced dam of:
. Maxim, 5 wins including NZSS 2c, and VIC Derby heat & final.
. Splendour, 8 wins including Gold Coast Oaks(2nd Queensland Oaks), Nevele R heat.

Minor winners from Scuse Me - Coca Vicola(winner): Pardin Me(NZ winner, 10 WA/1 GP): Abide With Me(4 wins): Idolise Me(3 NZ wins, 1 Australia): Ohoka Jett(winner)

Credit: Peter Craig writing in Harnessed Feb 2016



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